Former Fla. Pill Mill Operator Pleads Guilty

MIAMI -- A former South Florida pill mill operator whose clinics illegally dispensed hundreds of thousands of doses of powerful pain killers has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in ongoing investigations.

Vincent Colangelo pleaded guilty Monday to drug, tax evasion and money-laundering charges in Miami federal court. The 42-year-old Colangelo faces up to 20 years in prison at a June 20 sentencing. He could get less time if he assists in other pill mill prosecutors.

Court records show Colangelo's eight clinics in Broward and Miami-Dade counties dispensed at least 660,000 oxycodone and other pills between January 2009 and December 2010. Authorities seized cash, 50 vehicles and other assets from Colangelo.

Colangelo was one of 20 people arrested in a February 2011 pill mill sweep, one of several in a recent crackdown.